AMES, Iowa -- Although it drives cats wild, catnip appears to be a big turn-off for mosquitoes.

In research conducted at Iowa State University, catnip was 10 times more effective at repelling mosquitoes than the compound used in most commercial bug repellents. The finding was reported today at the 222nd national meeting of the American Chemical Society in Chicago.

Chris Peterson and Joel Coats studied the effect of nepetalactone on mosquitoes. Nepetalactone is an essential oil in catnip that gives the plant its odor...

CHICAGO, August 27 — Researchers report that nepetalactone, the essential oil in catnip that gives the plant its characteristic odor, is about ten times more effective at repelling mosquitoes than DEET — the compound used in most commercial insect repellents...

Research in the lab of Dr. Joel Coats in the Department of Entomology at Iowa State University indicates that chemicals produced naturally by two plants, catnip and the osage orange (also known as hedgeapple) repel German cockroaches. Folklore includes numerous claims that catnip and osage orange are repellent to insects and spiders...